Sanitas per vino

While many of us have enjoyed the therapeutic benefits of a glass of good wine, the grape elixir is now for topical use as well; almost.

Dessislava Leshtarska

When I first heard of wine therapy, I imagined myself soaking in a bath-tub filled with red Tuscan wine, while a beautician gently cleaned my face with Merlot wraps and exfoliated my body with crushed Cabernet grapes. Isn't this what wine therapy is all about?

The ruby red elixir is as delightful for the skin as it is on the palate. While studies have long indicated that red wine is beneficial for the heart, we’re only recently discovering the immense benefits wine imparts when applied topically.

About 10 years ago, I was pretty surprised to see my father (who, in my opinion, had his foot in the door of metro-sexuality many years before Beckham started wearing diamond earrings and flashing a French manicure) grinding dried grape seeds in a coffee-mincer, mixing the powder with frozen raspberries and rubbing his face with this mixture, explaining to me he'll remain forever young.

Now I know that grape seeds contain resveratrol, a potent antioxidant. Resveratrol is found in high concentrations in grape seeds, stems and skins and is easily absorbed by the skin, working its magic to reduce inflammation and slow the oxidation process that often causes the skin to age prematurely. Grapes are also ripe with polyphenols, another potent antioxidant which fortifies the skin.

So, after I read a number of articles about the great anti-oxidant and anti-ageing properties of wine therapy, about spa saloons in the States offering wine-and-water tubs, about massages with fresh grapes that are crushed over your body offered in vinotherapy hotels in France, I typed “вино терапия” (wine therapy in Bulgarian) in Google, hoping to find a place here in Bulgaria, Sofia preferably, where I could test these gourmet treatments.

My enthusiasm cooled when I phoned several spa centres in Sofia only to find out that the wine therapy they offer is nothing more than standard spa procedures such as exfoliation, massage and  body masks with products that are wine in name, but not necessarily in substance. So much for my dreams of splashing in wine!

Further investigation revealed that there is at least some hope for me to experience what probably Cleopatra did when she bathed in tubs of wine 2 000 years ago. Todoroff Wine&Spa hotel, located in the village of Brestovitsa, Plovdiv region, offers a spa package that is entirely based on grape and  wine products. The spa centre even offers the craved wine tub. Even though the wine used for this procedure is not  drinkable, this is much more authentic than the bath of water with wine extracts that come in tablets, which they offered me in a spa hotel in Bankya. The spa centre in Todoroff Spa Hotel uses grape and vine leave extracts, natural cold pressed grape seed oil, red grape extract, vine leaves' extract, red wine extract, centela extract and fresh grape mousse, all of which are prepared in Germany exclusively for the hotel. They assured me their products are natural, without preservatives and colour additives.

Beer producers are apparently not going to be outdone by wine makers. The New York Times travel section reports on the rise of “beer spas” in central Europe in a story with the witty name Yeast of Eden.

“Beer is very good for the skin, because of the vitamins and the yeast,” Hedwig Bauer, who owns one such spa in Austria, is quoted as saying. “It’s cleansing and drying.” A couple of people can hop in a barrel at once and one beer spa in the Czech Republic actually fills up a swimming pool with their brew.

I have to agree with one blogger who wrote that waiting for coffee producers to catch on the trend might be wise – at least the smell will be right. But, in the meantime, the wine therapy offered in local spa centres, even if the ingredients come out of jars, not barrels, is a relaxing and soothing experience. Considering the fact I'm not taking a drive around Brestovitsa very often, I'll examine the list below once more.

Spa centres that offer Wine Therapy:

Dream Spa & Fitness
On the junction between Bulgaria Blvd and the Ring road, 02/958 30 54
Wine therapy, 80 leva

Maleeva Tennis Club
Nikola Vaptsarov Blvd, 02/962 22 88
Wine massage, 90 min, 60 leva

Studio Relax
20 Stefan Sarafov St (Ivan Vazov borough), 02/851 09 48
Facial wine therapy, 30 min, 15 leva
Back wine therapy, 30 min, 20 leva

Angel Face Beauty Saloon
19 Rusaliiski prohod St (Lozenets borough), 02/962 87 65
Face wine therapy, 70 min, 28 leva
Wine massage, 70min, 35 leva

Line Massage Studio
59 Patriarh Evtimii Blvd, 02/954 76 30
Facial Wine Therapy, 30 min, 20 leva
Body Wine Therapy, 75 min, 50 leva

BeautyMed SPA
32 Stara Planina St, 02/944 26 59
Body Wine Therapy, 90 min, 58 leva

Todoroff Wine&Spa Hotel
Brestovitsa village, Plovdiv region, 150 km. from Sofia and 15 km from Plovdiv
www.todoroff-hotel.com
TODOROFF Wine SPA Center program is based on grape and vine leaves' extracts, natural cold pressed grape seed oil, grape seeds, red grape extract, vine leaves' extract, red wine extract, centela extract and fresh grape mousse.

Bankya Palace Spa Hotel
70 Varna Blvd, Bankya, 02/812 20 20
Body Wine Therapy

Source: Month2Come